The FRANSES RESEARCH ARCHIVE is the world's most complete research resource on European tapestries. Visual records of approaching 100,000 tapestries have been collected and meticulously filed and cross-referenced by subject, date, and place of origin.

AIM

The aim of the Archive is to collect images of tapestries, and also to assemble information and documentation on aspects of patronage, design, production, and provenance.

DEVELOPMENT

The Archive was developed with co-operation from the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Cinquentenaire Museum, Brussels, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Information has also been collected from more than two hundred museum collections, libraries, and institutions. Important contributions have been received from scholars, collectors, art dealers, and auctioneers. The Archive has been extended to include extensive records of historic European and Eastern carpets, and European textiles.

RESEARCH

The Archive enables identification of individual pieces, as well as visual re-construction of dispersed sets. This is of great value when cataloguing works. Information has been provided without charge to most major museums throughout the world.

ASSISTANCE

The Archive has been practically useful in identifying stolen works. A pair of Gobelins tapestries, owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and stolen from the Institute of Fine Art in New York, were recovered as well as a tapestry stolen from North Mimms Park. The Archive also collaborates with the Art Loss Register and other bodies seeking to identify stolen or missing works.

PROJECTS

Current activities include a joint project with the National Trust to record and identify all the European Tapestries in their properties. There are two other major cataloguing projects underway which severely limits the assistance that can currently be offered by the Archive staff.

FUTURE

With a constant stream of new images and information being added to the collection, the FRANSES RESEARCH ARCHIVE remains pre-eminent in the world.